LUTHER 1527 The Son Is Of The Essence Of The Father

LUTHER 1527

Have I played the fanatic just about enough? Aren’t the words of Christ now just about tortured to death? Actually, I have done the job a little too well, better than befits a fanatic. Dear Christians, at least give me credit for mocking the damnable devil so, for he mocks us. My wretched fanatics are still too inexperienced to be able to despise good insights and thoughts. Therefore they think, when they dream something up, it is forthwith the Holy Spirit.Oh, how many fine insights I have had into the Scriptures which I have had to let go, whereas, if a fanatic had had them, all the printeries in the world would have been too few for him. And I can well believe that if these fanatical thoughts of mine had occurred to one of them, probably neither Karlstadt, Zwingli, Oecolampadius, nor the others would now be of any account. Nevertheless, all this is fanaticism, and Christ’s words remain firm: “This is my body, which is given for you.”-Martin Luther.

The Son Is Of The Essence Of The Father

The Son is of the essence of the Father, not by division or diminution, but by simple and perfect self-communication. This divine self-communication of eternal love is represented by the figure of generation, suggested by the biblical terms Father and Son, the only-begotten Son, the firstborn. The eternal generation is an internal process in the essence of God, and the Son is an immanent offspring of this essence; whereas creation is an act of the will of God, and the creature is exterior to the Creator, and of different substance.
HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH Schaff Volume 3 NICENE AND POST-NICENE CHRISTIANTY A.D. 311-600
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